Delivering nutrients widely through biofortification: Building on orange sweet potato
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International Food Policy Research Institute
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Biofortification seeks to reduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies among low-income populations by developing nutrient-rich staple food crops that are regularly consumed by the poor. The experience of scaling up orange sweet potato (OSP), a vitamin A–rich biofortified crop, demonstrates the potential of biofortification as a cost-effective and sustainable nutrition intervention. Projects implemented in Uganda and Mozambique increased OSP adoption and consumption, resulting in substantial improvements in vitamin A intake among women and children. Key lessons include the importance of establishing a critical mass of adopters, leveraging informal diffusion to reduce delivery costs, targeting women as both producers and caregivers, and creating demand through effective communication and branding. While initial efforts focused on seed systems and demand creation, long-term sustainability will require the development of markets and value chains that can reach both rural and urban consumers. The OSP experience suggests that successful scaling up of biofortified crops depends on evidence of public health impact, strong diffusion mechanisms, market development, private-sector engagement, and supportive investments in nutrition, agriculture, and policy systems.
Palabras clave
scaling up, agriculture, rural development, nutrition, biofortification, sweet potatoes, retinol